Folding Knife From an Old File (w/ Basic Tools)

This Instructable is (not!) sponsored by all of those useless, old, rusted files that are wasting your precious pegboard space.

Why not turn them into knives?

I recently built my own Homemade Drill-Powered Knife Sharpener, so I thought I'd try making my first knife. I thought I could make it from a really old file that I've never used, because its steel is is probably hard enough to hold a good edge.

I don't have any of those fancy metal-working tools, so I tried making it with the basic tools that I have.

Let's get started!

*Pssst! Don't forget to check out more info about the giveaway in the comments!

Hardware & Materials:

Folding File

Sharpening/Buffing Compound

Chemicals & Adhesives:

Water (Coolant)

Tools (+Attachments):

Wire Brush

Vise

Dremel Sanding Stone/Drum

Abrasive Dremel Cutting Wheel

Permanent Marker

Electric/Power Tools:

6-in-1 Woodworking Machine (It contains the Mini Bench-Grinder)

Drill-Powered Tool/Knife Sharpener

Dremel

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Why: I need a knife!

Recommended Safety Equipment: Earmuffs, Respirator, Safety Goggles,

Cost (for me): FREE!

Difficulty: Pretty Hard

Approximate Time: ~3 Hours

Choose the file that you want to ruin! This should be an old file that you rarely use. Preferably one that is slightly wrecked.

I used a really old folding file that was made in England.

My preferred tool for cleaning the file was a wire brush. Make sure to scrape only in the direction of the cutting lines of the file to avoid ruining the wire brush.

I made sure to add water, which would help the sawdust fall off.

I started by imagining the way that I wanted the knife to look. After that, I used a permanent marker to color over the parts of metal that I wanted to remove.

I secured an abrasive cutting bit in my Dremel, and started cutting, while making sure that the steel stayed cool with water. I didn't allow it to get hotter than the Dremel itself :)

I'm probably using the wrong term for this, but I used my mini bench grinder to make the grind totally perpendicular, as if the knife was never sharpened.

I tried it, and the sanding stone that was in my dremel worked well too.

In order to make a sharp knife, you need to grind a good bevel.

I started by freehanding it with the Dremel, but later realized that it was easier to clamp it in the vise, and move the knife.

I'm sorry for the awful pictures. My camera can't adjust the brightness when I try showing how shiny it is :(

I used My Homemade Drill-Powered Tool/Knife Sharpener to polish the bevel. BEAUTIFUL! If you'd more instructions on how to use and build it, please click on the orange link.

Congrats! You've made your first knife!

I finally know how to ruin the balloons that ruined my motto... ;)

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DONE!

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